Slashdot Mirror
Robots Approved For Cardiac Surgery
An anonymous reader writes "CNN has an article up on
a new robotic heart-surgery system. By making 4 relatively small incisions into the
patients chest the da Vinci
Surgical System, guided by real surgeons, uses its pencil sized "tools" to conduct
several different heart procedures including closed-chest coronary bypass surgery. By
operating on a patient with their chest closed, patient recovery times have reduced
from weeks to just days. Despite the robotic surgery taking longer than traditional
operations, this reduced recovery times makes the robotic surgery cost less
overall than traditional open heart surgery. Fortunately, if anything goes
wrong with the robot, the human surgeons can jump right in and pick up where the robot
has stopped. Already the robot (in place in over 130 hospitals world wide) has been
FDA approved
for Mitral Valve repair surgery. More insightful info on the da Vinci System here."
It's not the first such system, either.
fp w00t!
yee ha
I just lost first post cuz this robot was operating on me...
Article from the Khilafah (www.kilafah.com.pk)
Democracy and Dictatorship: twin tools of American Imperialism
uploaded 21 Sep 2002
In an interview with AFP on 19 August 2002 General Musharraf commented, "The whole people of Pakistan want changes of faces, they are fed up with politicians, they are fed up with all of them. So let's have new faces, new leadership emerging in Pakistan and better politics, better democracy." The reintroduction of democracy in Pakistan will indeed bring a change of faces but this will not result in any substantial improvement to the affairs of the country. Indeed Democracy is no different from dictatorship, as both have legislated away the main foreign, economic and domestic policies in favour of foreign powers.
In foreign policy, US objectives have come first over Pakistan's interests. America's policy towards Afghanistan has gone through three stages; firstly overwhelming support for the Mujahideen during Soviet occupation, then weak support of the Mujahideen and Taliban regime, then outright war against the Afghan people. And Pakistan's foreign policy has mirrored America's policy, for which Pakistan has been used as the practical implementers on the ground. Similarly, America's support of the Kashmiri struggle was backed by Pakistan's leaders and the call for Jihad, so long as India was ruled by the Congress Party and remained outside of America's influence. As late as 1 June 2000 Musharraf said to a CNN news reporter about Kashmir, "...First of all, you said the term 'terrorism'. Well, I beg to differ. There is no terrorism going on. There is a freedom struggle going on." However, with the intensifying of the BJP government's relationship with America, Pakistan's leadership reversed its policy in accordance with America's new position regarding India. Thus by 12 January 2002, he was saying "No organization will be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir." The Afghanistan and Kashmir policies of Pakistan's democratic governments followed the American foreign policy in the same manner as during periods of dictatorship. Neither the changes of democracy nor the changes of dictatorship were responsible for the U-turn in Pakistan's foreign policy, which was only transformed to comply with US hegemony.
In economic policy, the IMF and World Bank continue to dominate, despite them being well known tools of western colonialism. Pakistani governments have obeyed the IMF instructions on debt rescheduling and on structural adjustment policies (SAP). Benazir Bhutto's tenure saw the bringing of independent power producers (IPPs) to Pakistan, directly under the advice of the World Bank, which only led to overcapacity in power production and the hike in utility prices burdening the common man. And as regards privatization, this had been a constant theme between the Benazir, Sharif and Musharraf governments despite knowing this benefits the West by selling off national resources into the hands of foreign multinationals. And the continued acceptance of loans and hence the further indebtedness of Pakistan has not differed between military or elected governments. Democrats and dictators have failed to break out of the grips of the West and its financial institutions. It wasn't without reason that the New York Times referred to the IMF as "proxy for the United States". Despite being elected representatives of the people, the democratic governments continued to represent the interests of the Western powers to the detriment of the country, no different to government under dictatorship.
In domestic policy, changes of law and order have occurred in response to the needs of America but not to the needs of the nation. FBI agents and US military personnel have joined local law enforcement officers and Pakistan's military for the purpose of America's "crusade" against Islam. The present regime has spent vast amounts of money and resources to find the killers of a single US citizen, whereas the killing of many Pakistani citizens continues to be disregarded. And similar extraordinary measures were undertaken during Nawaz Sherif's tenure to seek out the killers of American FBI agents. Even education has become subject to US policy, so while the Soviet Union was a threat in Afghanistan, the maadaris were encouraged to educate their students about the Islamic obligation of Jihad. But now America's War against Islam demands that a secularised Islam is portrayed and taught. Hence the educational reforms package has been introduced which will promote secular values to the youth of Pakistan, supported by USAID funding of $100M. America's interference in Pakistan's domestic policy, even to the level of the security within the country and the education of children, has been endorsed equally by democratic and dictatorship governments.
The call for democracy is a pointless task, which will not remove America's poisonous grip over the policies of Pakistan. Indeed Musharraf has already guaranteed continued American hegemony through legislation and constitutional amendments. Under Amendment Article 270 AA it states "President's Orders, ordinances, Chief Executive's Orders? and all other laws? shall not be called into question in any court on any ground whatsoever." Musharraf was able to boast about his plans in his meeting on 20 August 2002 with Paul Chabrier, Advisor to the IMF Managing Director. Dawn reported, "General Pervez Musharraf has said that major political and economic reforms undertaken by his government will be fully protected by new legislation". In truth, Musharraf's call for "new faces, new leadership" is about moulding the current political medium so that it becomes even more subservient to US imperial policies. The assemblies will serve to bring in pro-US legislation under the wary eye of the Pakistani President, who will be on a tight leash to the American President. President Bush said, "So we'll stay in touch with President Musharraf in more ways than one".
In reality democracy and dictatorship are simply tools of American imperialism. If America can manipulate a single dictator, it has sufficient resources to manipulate a few hundred assembly members. Both democracy and dictatorship can be manipulated as both rely on man to make law. Man-made legislation is liable to change with the whims and desires of men, and hence can be moulded by vested interests. The most powerful and largest vested interests are those of America, which through its institutions and organisations are able to dictate policies to dictators or democrats alike. The October elections are a facade to hide America's continued domination of Pakistan and it will only result in assemblies whose legislation will further entrench American imperialism in the country.
Islam has unconditionally rejected both democracy and dictatorship. In both, the law is from the minds of men and is liable to manipulation by vested interests. Allah is Al-Hakim and has restricted legislation to Himself alone. Allah says,
"The rule is for none but Allah" [ An-An'am 6:57]
"It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path." [Al-Ahzab 33:36]
Nothing is legal but that which Allah has made legal (Halal) and nothing is illegal but that which Allah has made illegal (Haram). In democracy and dictatorship the halal and haram are defined by man and not by Allah. Those who are submissive before democracy's throne or a dictator's throne are guilty of following other gods instead of Allah. It is this meaning which came in the ayah and hadith:
"They took their Rabbis and Priests for gods instead of Allah." [At-Tauba 9:31] The Messenger of Allah (saw) was reading this verse when Adee ibn Hatem At-Ta'ei entered wearing a cross around his neck. Adee said: They did not worship them. The Messenger of Allah responded (saw):
"When they (Rabbis and Priests) declared anything halal the people accepted it as halal and when they declared any thing haram they took it as haram.'' Then Adee became a Muslim.
O Muslims!
Both democracy and dictatorship are Kufr systems and will never deliver us from the Kafir imperialism. The sincere and aware person would not think about changing a few faces but would realise that the system of democracy and its twin, dictatorship, need to be removed. Allah provides us with a system that is immune from the weaknesses of man-made legislation. Only the Khilafah system provides just law and policies in favour of the Ummah, which cannot be tampered by assemblies or governments under the influence of foreign interests.
"Nay, by your Lord. They will not be believers until they make you the ruler in all that concerns them, and find no resistance in their hearts, and submit with full submission." [An-Nisa'a 4:65]
Hizb ut-Tahrir, Wilayah Pakistan
20 September 2002
Bender from Futurama! Don't trust him either.
.smell my feet.